Car-coupling.



L, DBTHIER. CAR GOUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1912.

1,049,684, Patented Jan. 7,'1913 f ""7 o o 2W g; 1?/ Z L9 w @0 i mj L"vl-5' o o F59. L 'Il 29 f *f/ i i N fi .I 11- l 16 :i zo' I l K IL,

UNITED sTATEs raTENT oEEicE.

LOUIS DETHIER, OF MOUTKVERNON, OHIO.

cAELooUrLING;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 7,1913.

Appnanon ined June s, 1912. serial No. 701,397. 4

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS DETHIER, a citi zen of the United States,residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Knox, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to car couplers and particularly to the M. C. B.type. A

The object of the invention resides in the provision of a car couplerwhich includes an improved construction and arrangement of parts andwhich will be durable and efficient in use.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in thedetails of construction and in t-he arrangement and combination of partsto be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out inthe appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, ref-v erence will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference denotecorresponding parts in the several views, and in which-v Figure 1 is atop view of the coupler and also the forward end of a draft rigging withwhich the coupler is associated, Fig. 2, a side view of the coupler,Fig. 3, a horizontal section through the coupler showing the knuckle inlocked position, Fig. 4, a vertical section through the coupler showingthe knuckle partially closed and the locking latch of the knuckleelevated and in the position it would occupy just previous to itsrelease to locking position, Fig. 5, a detail perspective view of theknuckle of the coupler, and Fig. 6, a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Referring to t-he `drawings 10 indicates a draw bar which is operativelyassociated with a draft rigging indicated typically at A and preferablyof the type shown and described in my application for U. S. LettersPatent, filed February12, 1912, and serially numbered 676,978. This drawbar 10 is -also slidable in a block 11 suitably suspended from the sill12 of a car and terminates at its outer end in the coupler head B. Thishead B is provided at its outer end with a vertical recess 14 and thewall of this recess 14 is provided with a second recess 15 eX- andopening through one side of the lat-ter as at 16. The upper. wall of therecess 15 is provided with la recess 17 in which is pivotally mount-ed aknuckle locking latch tending horizontally ofy the coupler head 18adapted to have its freeend manually f elevated by means of a link 19secured thereto and passing through an opening'20 eX- tending throughthe upper sides of the coupler head. The outer end of this link 19 hassecured thereto a chain 21 or other suitable gripping element. The freeend of the pawl 18 is cut away to form an inwardly inclined face 22. Theupper and lower wall of the recess 15 between the latch 18 and theopening 16 are provided respectively wit-h grooves 23 in which slides apin 24 eX- tending upwardly through a plunger 25 having a stem 26slidable through a bearing plate 27 mounted upon the outer face of thecoupler head across the opening 16. Encircling the stem 26 is a spring28 one end of which bears against the plunger 25, while the other endthereof bears against the inner face of the plate 27. This spring 28constantly tends to maintain the pin 24 at the inner ends of the grooves23, said pin 24 limiting the movement of the plunger 25 and stem 26inwardly of the couplerfhead.

The forward end of the coupler head B at the side thereof which carriesthe bearing plate 27 is formed with spaced ears 29 between which ispivoteda coupling knuckle 30. The knuckle 30 is provided at its innerend with a tail 31 movable in the recess 15. The free end of this tail31 is provided with a iin 32 the upper face of which is inclineddownwardly toward its outer end. As the knuckle 30 is operated to movethe t-ail 31 into the recess 15 the inclined upper face of the fin 32will coperate with the inclined face 22 of the latch 18 and elevate t-hefree end o-f said latch. At the same time the free end of the tail 31will engage the plunger 25 and compress the spring 28. Continuedmovement of the tail 31 willr swing the free end of the latter out ofengagementwith the latch 18 and the latter will then drop under theiniiuence of gravity across the outer side of the tail and lockthelatter against movement toward the mouth of the recess 15. "When thetail 31 is thus locked the knuckle 30 is held against movement so as toproperly coperate with the knuckle of another coupler and effect thecoupling status in the well known manner. To reseA ico n lease thecoupler it is only necessary to lift the free end of the latch 18through the Inediuni of the link 19 and chain 21 When the plunger 25Will operate against the tail 31 to force the latter toward the mouth ofthe recess 15.

As the nianner in which the interlocking relation between the adjacentcouplers is efected is a inatter of common knowledge, a detail referencethereto herein is not deemed necessary.

IVhat is claimed is:

In a car coupler, a head having a cavity opening through its front endand a passage conimunicating With the cavity at one end and openingthrough the side Wall of the head at its other end, said passage havingcorresponding longitudinal grooves in opposite Walls, a bearing platesecured against the side of said head and overlying said passage, asteni disposed in said passage and slidable through the hearing plate, ahead on the end of said stein remote from the hearing'plate, a pinextending transversely through said last na-ined head and having itsends engaged in the longitudinal grooves respectively, a springencircling said stein and having one end engaged with said bearing plateand its other end engaged with said last named head, and a knucklepivoted in said cavity and engaged by the head on the stein whereby theinovement of the latter under the influence of said spring will niovethe knuckle to unlocked position.

In testimony whereof, I affix iny signature, in presence of twoWitnesses.

LOUIS DETHIER.

l/Vitnesses ULYSSE DnssEN'r, J. A. SCHAEFFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained fox` ve cents each, by addressing`the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

